Charmine and the maids turned to see the tall, lean Anthony walking toward them from downstairs. He was still in the same suit he wore last night. His exquisite, elegant face looked rather tired. He took a glimpse at Charmine first before turning to the maids. “Who said I left Charmine? I smoked before bed, and she had me leave last night!”When the maids heard this, their eyes widened with shock. Was that true? Did Anthony get kicked out to sleep on the streets after all? President Bailey, Boss Bailey, actually did as he was told? Anthony walked up to Charmine and looked at her gently. “I’m back, my dear,” he cautiously greeted. Charmine glared at him and acted as if he did not exist.This, however, did not anger Anthony. He put his hand on her shoulder and continued, “I’m sorry, my dear. I’ll never upset you by smoking before bed again.“If this happens again, you may punish me by doing five hundred push ups with you on my back!“My darling, don’t be angry. Talk to me
Charmine, however, ignored Anthony. Once she finished putting on her makeup, she walked into the dressing room, leaving Anthony outside with a loud slam of the door. Anthony persisted in his apologies as he begged outside the door, “Dearest… Please forgive me, please? I won’t do it again, ever. “The next time I see Nial, I’ll kill him!”Just then, the door to the dressing room opened with a loud click.Charmine was dressed in black leather pants, which showcased her alluring figure. She looked dominant and prominent. Anthony’s gaze flickered at the sight and felt worry pooling within him. “Where are you going, dearest?”Charmine continued to ignore him and walked past him coldly, to which Anthony frowned.He tried to reel her back to him, but just as his hand grazed hers, she swung his hand away ruthlessly.She glared daggers at him as her red lips parted to say, “You’d do well to remember, Anthony, that if you go out to drink for one night, I can and will do the same! I’m n
Nial was speechless.All he did was bring good news to him! It was bad enough Anthony did not even let him sleep all night, but all of a sudden, he was making things up and piled up the blame on him!Nial was far from happy about this. However, for the sake of the limited supercar Anthony promised him, he would go all in!Nial clumsily mixed the drinks and admitted sincerely, “I’m really sorry, Charmine. You know how relationships intimidated me. When I finally let go of the fear and decided to love someone, I mustered up my courage, but only to find out that she was already married. My heart was shattered in pieces. I don’t think I’ll ever be in love anymore! That’s why I dragged my brother out to drink with me all night…”Charmine’s fierce aura finally ebbed away a little.She looked up at Nial and asked, “Do you feel better now?” “Yeah.” Nial nodded. “I’m lucky that Bro accompanied me last night, Charmine, or I might’ve wrecked my life even more.” When he noticed that Cha
“Rest assured, my darling. If this happens again, I’ll apologize to you in front of the entire world.”Charmine’s lips spread into a stunning smile as she sipped her drink.Nial, meanwhile, felt overwhelmed.Oh, how pitiable he was. He had to serve both of them while watching them publicly displaying their affection!Nial looked at both Anthony and Charmine before he feebly begged, “Bro, Charmine, can you stop displaying your affection right at my face? I don’t need to see this!”Charmine had not spoken, but Anthony glared at him coldly. “Well, consider it your blessing that Charmine’s displaying our affection to you.”“Yes, yes, yes.” Nial was so close to tears, but he braved himself and forced out a smile worse-looking than a cry. “T—Thank you, Charmine…!”Charmine smiled. “You’re welcome.”Nial felt that his life was played.He could not take it anymore. He wanted to go home!Meanwhile…Everyone else in the bar noticed just how gently the two handsome men treated Charmine
Inside a luxurious room… Waverly sat before the makeup desk and looked at the photo on her phone darkly, one that displayed how Anthony lovingly brought drinks to Charmine’s lips.Her cold, red lips curled into a bitter smirk as she scoffed. Charmine went to a bar on their second day of marriage? Would a wife act this way? How irresponsible. She was too wild to receive Anthony’s love! Why was Anthony so protective of Charmine?!Waverly glared at Charmine in the photos, her eyes filled with rage as she cursed her. That cheap woman! She could have been the one Anthony loved and adored, the woman admired by everyone. Her, Waverly D’Cruz!Charmine snatched everything away from her! Waverly was so triggered that her head started to hurt.She massaged her temples, and after a moment, she pressed her phone and logged out of Tweeter. She then sent a text.[Don’t be too stupid!]… At the Bailey mansion. Annabel had been an approachable character even as she had moved in.
“I grew up in the countryside,” said Annabel. “I’m used to being busy, and I can’t sit still.”Susan felt an affinity for Annabel when she noticed just how kind Annabel was.Annabel did seem quite kind and generous. She was pregnant with Anthony’s baby, yet she still blessed him and Charmine at their wedding.“You’re considered a missus here, so leave these tasks to the maids,” remarked Susan. “Just get some rest, or it’ll be troublesome if the baby is hurt.”Although Susan spoke with an arrogant voice, her tone was caring.Annabel understood her advice, and a genuine smile spread across her palm-sized face. “Thank you, Madam.”Susan saw how happy she looked and could not help liking Annabel more. Even a kind word would make Annabel that happy?What a blameless woman…unlike that Charmine!That Charmine merely mumbled a ‘thank you’ when she scooped her food last night, and it was not even that sincere. If only Annabel was her daughter-in-law, her days would be even better! S
Charmine then stated, “I’ve had these special sea-cucumbers imported from Amerites. They’re priceless.”Everyone at the dinner table was baffled to have heard this, and they gazed at Charmine, confused.She was that kind to Annabel?She was not only not angry at her for bearing Anthony’s baby nor at Susan, but she even bought Annabel priceless sea-cucumbers?Was she genuine, or was she pretending?Anthony looked at her, and his eyes darkened.Grandma Bailey and Senior Bailey, on the other hand, could not hide their admiration for Charmine.She was indeed the woman that Anthony loved. She was so understanding and caring.Annabel’s eyes widened in shock, and she looked at Charmine with disbelief. “Ms. Jordan, you’re…giving them to me?”“Yes,” said Charmine, “so keep them. When you have enough nutrients, the baby will grow up healthily.”The gesture touched Annabel, who received Charmine’s gift with both hands and gratefully said, “Thank you, Ms. Jordan.”Charmine smiled. “You’
Anthony opened his eyelids and gazed at Charmine, who was below him. Oh, how he wished to continue this to have their first time.However, he recalled how much hurt and hatred she showed when she thought about that incident.He dared not to, and he must not.The lust in his eyes slowly vanished. Just as he was thinking of a way to end this, urgent knocks were heard on the door.Following that, a maid’s urgent voice was heard, bleating, “Master, Mistress, we’ve got a problem! Ms. Annabel is in trouble!” Charmine snapped out of it, and the lust in her eyes instantly vanished. Annabel, in trouble?Anthony frowned in displeasure.He could only leave one last kiss on Charmine’s lips and hoarsely said, voice soaked with repressed desires, “I’ll take you tonight, dearest.”Charmine, meanwhile, felt conflicted. Why was it always cut off when she gave in? Anthony got out of bed and said, “I’ll go and have a look. You get some rest here.” Charmine got off the bed and said, “I’ll
There was an unnoticeable glint in Sonia's eyes. She nestled herself further into Harry's arms as she added, "Let’s go to Pares. We'll come back after I give birth to the baby.""Alright."Harry stayed by Sonia's side as he watched over her, cared for her, and talked to her until she finally slept in his care.He stood up tiredly and walked out of the room to sit in the living room.Thuck!Something fell out of his pocket.He narrowed his eyes to the source of sound and spotted a USB.Since when did he have a USB in his pocket?With a small frown on his face, Harry curiously picked it up and noticed the front side of the USB glowing. Something was carved onto its surface, too.[Granger].Was it Dior’s USB? Why was her USB inside his pocket?Harry’s clear fingers held on the USB tightly. He thought for a moment before he took out a laptop, turned it on, and plugged in the USB.A moment later, the screen showed what seemed to be peculiar surveillance footage with a descriptio
Dior was still lost in her storm of thoughts when a shadowy figure zipped past her and ran toward Harry.When she spotted this familiar figure, she reacted quickly and held onto him."Let go of me!" growled Guy. "How dare he slap you and misunderstood you? I have to beat some sense into him!"Harry broke free and chased after Harry.Dior, despite having lost all hope and life in her, mustered the last strand of her will to chase after Guy and reeled him back. "Brother, don't," she muttered, "spare your energy…" Her sorrow clouded her eyes as she mumbled, "He’s the man I love. Even though he hates me, I won’t allow you to hurt him. As for the explanation…"Dior smiled ironically. "Whatever. That slap decimated every beautiful daydream I have about him, anyway."She no longer expected anything from him.He had no trust in her, so what would it matter if she finally got him? He did not even love her, and he did not trust her either.Dior smiled elegantly, but her eyes were fille
Dior looked forward to that new shift.She watched as Harry made his way into the restaurant silently, unable to deter her mind from the daydreams she had of him, of the new chapter of their story they would have.He would apologize to her, trying to redeem himself, and kiss her dearly as he embraced her. Later down the line, they would have a child of their own, too.Harry's long legs walked in strides, his dark gaze trained on Dior.The bright light shone on Dior’s delicately stunning face, and she also wore a red dress.He remembered her wearing this back in Mount Village.He could remember how alluring she looked back then, how they stayed in the same room, how she put down her ego to treat him with so much gentleness.Harry’s cold face mellowed down, but recalling a certain memory, the vague wistfulness in him vanished and he sat in front of her.Dior looked at him fondly, like she always would. "Long time no see."Her eyes burned brightly as if she wanted to drink in his
Dior examined the footage the moment she received it.True enough, it showed Sonia and George talking about their little deal. It also showed how Dior was telling the truth while they both ganged up on her.Dior’s frail heart felt as though it was rejuvenated once more, feeling as though blood was once more pumped into her heart. Her dull eyes devoid of hope regained their lost luster once more.Not thinking twice, she dialed Harry's number with this evidence, though he had to be busy, seeing as he did not pick up even after the phone rang for a long while.Just as she was about to hang up, Harry picked up the phone."What do you want?"On the other end of the call was the voice that she had missed for so long. His low, hoarse voice sounded so cold and emotionless.Hearing his voice brought Dior back to the image of his handsome face, and her heart skipped a beat.She tried her best to restrain her fluttering emotions as she tried to speak calmly, "Do you have time? I’d like to
At Mount Village…Inside the elegant bamboo house was Dior, dressed in a beige dress. She sat in the front yard as she took sips of her wine.The sunlight shone past the leaves and illuminated her, yet she exuded an air of loneliness.She swirled the glass and could not help recalling the moments she spent with Harry.In the beginning, she was attracted by his looks; he looked so gentle and elegant.She gave him money, kept him company, and continuously showed up around him in hopes of conquering him.Alas, she ended up in this state.The time she spent with him in Mount Village was the happiest time she had ever had. They had lived inside the bamboo house together, where he took care of her and claimed her to be his woman.They even laid inside the same room.Everything was so beautiful.Cursed was her luck, however, that it was just an illusion. He had been using her from the start, while he chose to stay with the woman who lied to him and even hurt him!No matter how mu
"Although Susan was unhappy, she should've voiced out her displeasure instead of bottling things. Cheating is wrong, regardless. Furthermore, if she wanted a career, she didn't have to stay home and depend on her husband."Grandma Bailey halted.Was that what Charmine truly thought of?Grandma Bailey thought Charmine would find Susan too aggressive unto herself.Charmine glanced at Susan again and apathetically commented, "She doesn't want to make money on her own, but she wants to be rich while complaining about her man not making time for her and taking care of her? If a woman has no ability of her own and also blames others for her miseries, all she's worth is to sit quietly at home and wait for her husband to come home. She also has no right to cheat! This is how the world works."Charmine patted Grandma Bailey’s shoulder and held Anthony’s hand, her words met with everyone's evidently surprised gazes and their silence.Grandma Bailey was shocked. Sure, Charmine sounded rathe
The colossal cruise started to drift away from the pier.Eric stood on the cruise and let the wind blow at him, loneliness and hatred still oozing from his being.He stared at the blue ocean ahead of him as Charmine's words rang in his mind unceasingly.'Will you really feel good after you've killed them?''You saw Susan suffering from a serious wound; would you still kill the one sibling you have left in the world?'"Forgive them and yourself.'Deliberating everything carefully, his lips curled into a bitter smile.It was true, after all, that Charmine understood him the most.Eric poured himself another drink and downed it with loneliness as he allowed the cruise to bring him wherever it would take him.…Susan was still inside the operating room when Charmine and the rest of the Baileys rushed into the hospital.Darryl stood before the room, his expression blank, his figure lonely and helpless.So many things had happened in half a day.He found out about his wife's inf
"No one's stopping you now. Eat!"Anthony clenched his hands tightly and took another glance at Charmine. He was more determined than before, and he was close to eating the pills in the bottle.Charmine, who was held hostage, gradually opened her eyes at that moment. Her gaze drifted toward Eric before she asked, her tone challenging, "Will you really feel good after you've killed them? You saw Susan suffering from a serious wound; would you still kill the one sibling you have left in the world?"Eric halted, and his eyes darkened.Charmine had just woken up, yet what she said…He cast a cold glance at Charmine. "It's my business, and it has nothing to do with you!"They were his family, and he did not want a family like this!Charmine looked squarely at him. "Eric, I don’t care if you used me or plotted against me all these years; I've treated you like a true friend, nothing more nor less. You were the only person who stayed by my side in the past five years, so I hope that you
Anthony's breath hitched when he saw Charmine.He clenched his fists and, without doubting himself, relented "I can agree to your terms, so let her go right away. This has nothing to do with her; you only hate me after all. As long as you let her go, I'll take the pill. Everything will end right away."Susan shook her head. "We'll die after eating the pill. I’m not taking that!"She had just reunited with Eric, and she did not want to die yet. She looked at Eric and begged, "Please let Anthony be, why don't you? He’s your brother, after all, and he doesn’t even know about your existence. If you’re really angry, just kill Charmine, and I'll make it up to you—"Anthony's expression contorted in sheer fury upon hearing Susan's plea, and he glared at her with murderous intent."This was all your fault, so what right do you have to make Charmine take your blame?!""What on earth are you going on about?" snapped Grandma Bailey. "Charmine has been kidnapped because of you, yet you want